Torn (10 page)

“
God, Katie,” Branson
growled into her ear.

His words mixed with the hot breath
caressing her ear sent her over the edge. She cried out his name as
a powerful orgasm coursed through her body.

Branson gripped the headboard firmly
with his right hand as he thrust into her one last time, letting
out a primitive groan with his release.

Katie could hear Branson breathing
heavily as he rested his forehead on the pillow next to her ear.
She felt his body tense each time she throbbed around his fullness
inside of her. As she caught her breath, she wondered if he enjoyed
her as much as she had enjoyed him.

“
I’ll be right back.”
Branson kissed her before rolling off and heading into the
bathroom.

Katie pulled the covers up around her
and sank deeper into the pillow. The aftershocks were still
reverberating through her body.

When Branson returned, he slipped in
beside Katie and kissed her forehead. “Are you all
right?”

“
Mmm hmm.”

“
What are you
thinking?”

“
I was just wondering—”
Katie hesitated. “Was I okay? I mean, I know I have a lot to
learn—”

Branson propped himself up on one
elbow and laid a finger over her lips. “Baby, you were
amazing.”

“
Can we do it again?”
Katie swirled a finger around his chest playfully.

And they did, again and
again.

***

Sunday morning was spent watching the
sun rise over the lake with a cup of coffee just like Branson had
promised. “It’s just beautiful, isn’t it?”

“
Yes. I’m looking forward
to meeting your Gram. As many stories as I’ve heard, I feel like I
already know her.”

“
You’re going to love her.
She’s so fun to be around. You’ll have to sleep in the guest room
though, I don’t have the basement to myself, and she wouldn’t
approve of you violating her granddaughter.” Katie
giggled.

“
Hey, I’m innocent here.
Will she accuse me if you’re caught sneaking into my room?” He
raised one eyebrow and flashed a crooked smile.

Bright-eyed with hair sticking up in
every direction, Jackson came running into the sunroom with a Sippy
cup full of milk. He reached for Branson, who pulled him up into
his lap and complemented his fire truck pajamas. “These are cool,
little man.” Never taking his lips off of his cup, Jackson pointed
to the truck with a ladder in response. He leaned his head back,
resting against Branson’s chest, and finished his milk.

Katie sipped her coffee
and watched the two of them together. He was so good with his
nephew—fun, gentle, and loving. The glimmer of pride in his eyes
when he smoothed Jackson’s hair filled Katie with
wonderment.
He’ll be a wonderful father
one day.

Jennifer stumbled into the sunroom
with a cup of coffee. She looked as if she could have used a few
more hours of sleep. “Jackson wiggled and kicked all night. Why are
you two up so early?”

“
I promised Katie we would
watch the sun rise at least once before we left.”

“
My brother the romantic.”
Jennifer smirked. “When did that happen?”

Katie enjoyed the playful banter
between them. She had never known what it was like to grow up with
siblings and missed the fighting, playing, sharing of secrets, and
everything else that came with a brother or sister.

“
Good morning.” Celia
entered with a carafe and refilled Katie’s mug. “Katie, I so
enjoyed getting to know you. I hope you will come back. Winters are
harsh, but spring is beautiful, summers are spent on the water, and
autumn is my favorite—you can’t imagine the colors that are
displayed across the mountains. Branson, promise you’ll bring her
back after graduation.”

“
If she hasn’t grown bored
of me by then, I promise,” Branson answered, flashing Katie a
wink.

Katie looked down at her
mug, afraid she was blushing.
Bored with
you, Branson Stone? I don’t think so. I’m indubitably in love with
you.
She sipped her coffee, and listened
as the three of them reminisced about their time together swimming,
skiing, and boating on the lake. Phillip joined the conversation
and added a few fishing stories before ending the fun.

“
What time are you and
Katie planning on taking off, son? The Weather Channel said more
snow is on the way by late afternoon. You’ll need to get ahead of
it.”

“
Oh. We were planning on
going after lunch. Do we need to go earlier?”

“
I think you’ll be okay if
you’re out of here by one o’clock. It should only take about
forty-five minutes, but you’ll want to allow a little extra time
for possible traffic.”

Katie loved the feel of New Hampshire.
It was crowded but friendly, and full of little mom-and-pop
restaurants. She was certain the hiking trails were excellent, but
it was too cold and dangerous in December. She hoped she would have
the chance to come back in the spring.

Ten

Two hours later Katie and Branson
stepped out of the car in her driveway. Branson rubbed his neck
muscles. “That was a little tense, huh?” The traffic had been
horrible due to the heavy snowfall, and they had driven most of the
way in silence due to the stress of the drive and the impending
meeting with Katie’s only living relative. Branson popped the trunk
to get the luggage, but Katie quickly shut it. “Let’s get it later.
I can’t wait to see Gram, and introduce the two of you.” She took
Branson’s hand and skipped up the path toward the house. The sight
of the large white house with black shutters and roof against the
white snow made Katie’s heart soar. She was home.

When they stepped through the front
door, Katie called out for Gram.

“
Oh my heavens! Is that my
little Katie-girl?” Gram raced around the corner to find Katie
grinning from ear to ear.

“
Gram!” Katie bounded into
her grandmother’s arms and squeezed her tight. She inhaled the
soft, comforting scent of her perfume. Katie had copied Gram’s
habit of lightly dabbing one dot of perfume behind each ear.
She remembered watching her get ready for the day
and listening to her instructions. “You are beautiful and will
never need makeup, but when you do apply it, do it
tastefully—applying as little as possible for a natural look. When
you walk into a room you want people to notice your beautiful eyes,
not your beautiful makeup. Also, perfume should be added lightly
and never overpowering. Just add a tiny dab behind each
ear.”

“
I’m delighted beyond
words to see you, my dear.” She looked Katie over before turning
her attention to Branson. “Oh how rude of me, you must be Branson.
I’m Elizabeth Harrington, but all of Katie’s friends call me Gram.”
She offered her hand for a shake.

“
I’m pleased to finally
meet you, Gram. Katie speaks of you often.” Branson was sure he had
never seen Katie so happy. Her entire persona changed when she saw
Gram, and watching her he now knew what she had been like as a
child. It was obvious from the stories that she adored her
grandmother, but seeing the two of them together, he realized their
bond was exceptionally profound and unbreakable.

Gram led them through the house to the
kitchen where she had a pot of water ready for tea, along with
shortbread cookies. Branson looked around and realized there were
no masculine touches anywhere, which was completely opposite of his
family’s rustic home in New Hampshire. Katie’s house was light and
had a beach feel to it, making him forget that it was winter and
snowing outside.

Katie handed him a cup of tea. “I’ve
never seen you drink tea, but will you join us?” He nodded, and
thanked her for the cup. “Would you like honey, milk, or
lemon?”

“
I have no idea. I’ll just
try it the way you fix yours.”

Katie added a dab of honey to his cup
and placed a few cookies on his plate. “Gram makes these cookies
every Christmas. They’re my favorite.” She waited for him to try a
bite, eagerly awaiting his reaction. When he agreed they were the
best he’d ever tasted, she enjoyed her tea. “Gram, where’s the
tree? You haven’t decorated a stitch.”

“
I wanted to wait for you.
I thought it would be nice to do it together like we have every
year.” She smiled and turned to Branson. “Tell me everything about
yourself. Katie tells me you’re studying business?”

Branson answered her questions about
his family, future goals, and his version of how he and Katie met.
“I missed my four o’clock class so I could meet her. I’d seen her
on the tennis court, but never could find the chance to introduce
myself. This particular day she was sitting in the lobby of her
dorm. I have to admit she’s the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen,
and I lost my nerve. I stood there, like an idiot, talking to a
couple of buddies until I talked myself into saying hello. Normally
I’d describe myself as a fairly confident man, but Katie had me
turned upside down.”

Katie and Gram shared another cup of
tea as Branson retrieved the luggage out of the car. They got
caught up on all of the town gossip and made plans to give Branson
a glimpse into the wonderful world of the Harrington’s during the
Christmas season.

“
He seems like a wonderful
young man, dear. He can’t take his eyes off of you—I know a man in
love when I see one. How do you feel about him?”

“
I love him, Gram. He’s
kind, gentle, funny. You should see him with his nephew—and have
you seen his dimples? He’s one of the best on the tennis team, and
he likes to run and hike and . . . oh, listen to me ramble on. I’m
so glad to be home! When can we put up the tree? Are you going to
make Wassail?”

Gram laughed. “Yes, he’s very
handsome, we can put the tree up whenever you feel up to it, and
I’ll make Wassail tomorrow. Oh, Katie, it’s so good to have you
home!”

Katie showed Branson where he would be
sleeping, and then gave him a tour of the house. “You’ve seen the
kitchen, here’s the library.” She took his hand, leading him down
the hall to the living room, and walked to the large picture window
facing the sea.

“
Wow. What an amazing
view. The sea looks so . . . angry.” He watched as the water threw
itself against the rocks below, spewing white foam up the side of
the cliff.

“
I’m sure it
is
angry, because it’s
so cold.” Katie folded her arms and rubbed them up and down with
her hands.

Branson stood behind her, wrapping his
arms around her. “You and the sea— your eyes are the same color as
the water and neither of you like the cold air. If I believed in
that kind of nonsense I’d be really weirded-out right
now.”

“
Weirded-out? You go to
Yale, and that’s what you come up with?” Katie giggled. “I’m
trading you in for someone who speaks proper English.” Katie peeked
around to make sure Gram wasn’t behind them before playfully
planting a kiss on the corner of his mouth. “See that railing on
the cliff over there? That’s my favorite spot. Sometimes I spend
hours leaning against the railing, staring at the sea. It’s
glorious, terrifying, and peaceful all at once.”

Continuing through the house, she
showed him her room and the recreation room, lingering at the pool
table. “If you want a re-match just let me know.” She smiled
provocatively, slowly running her hand along the smooth wood edging
the table.

“
You better watch it,
babe. You don’t want your grandmother to shoot me, do
you?”

“
Why would she shoot you?”
Katie grinned and feigned
naïvety
.

“
For violating you right
here on this pool table, if you keep looking at me like that.” His
eyes darkened as he gave her a predatory look.

The familiar stir crept through her,
settling in her belly, as she roamed over his face and body. The
way his jeans hung on his hips—damn, he was sexy. Katie shouted
down the hallway toward the kitchen, “Gram, I’m going to show
Branson the wine cellar and pick out a bottle for dinner. Do you
have a preference?”

“
No, dear, just pick what
you like.”

Katie led Branson downstairs to the
stone-walled cellar. It was always kept at a cooler temperature.
She usually dreaded going down there, but she was burning up
inside, and only one thing could extinguish it. She pulled Branson
with her to the farthest wall and gazed into his eyes. “Kiss me,”
she commanded.

Branson pinned her arms over her head,
not daring to let her touch him. He hadn’t been in her
grandmother’s house an hour and he was already considering breaking
her rules. “God, Katie, what are you trying to do, get me
killed?”

She pressed her hips into him, causing
him to moan into her mouth and release her arms to gently fall down
by her sides. “I can’t help myself. You’re so damn irresistible
when you look at me like that.”

Branson’s desire for her grew stronger
than his common sense as he succumbed to her persuasion. He kissed
her deeply, making love to her mouth as he caressed her breasts
through her sweater. He stopped abruptly and pulled away when he
heard Gram call down from the top of the steps.